Math Clubs, Math Circles, and the Richmond Math Salon

People have this notion that math is about getting a right answer, and the testing really emphasizes that notion. And that’s such a bad way to approach math because it makes it scary.

When you look at little kids, they pose their own questions. They say, “Ooooh, what’s bigger than a million?” And they think about things their own way. At school, the teacher poses the questions, and the students answer their questions. Schooling is not a natural environment for learning.

Math Circles: Getting Started
Download the 171-page Circle in a Box book full of advice on creating and sustaining a math circle, tips on how to effectively lead a math circle, sample presentations, etc.

I absolutely agree that children often get a wrong notion that mathematics is about getting a right answer. I wrote about that in my manifesto years ago. However, I would qualify the reference to “school” and “schooling” in the quote, At school, the teacher poses the questions, and the students answer their questions. Schooling is not a natural environment for learning.

Teachers, schools and schooling may be bad but also good, and making the setting black and white serves no good purpose. It actually contradicts the thesis that there is not always one and only right answer. This is even more true in pedagogy than in mathematics.

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